Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1887-08-25

| ucoI, III WdS SJllI u tOH way OIL ny liver,
until at last, by one o'clock, w ound our
| selves at the bottom of the slope ON which
the building stood. Running the canoes
| TO the bank, we looked out, and were just
hauling them up on the Shore when we
| perceived three figures, dressed in ordinary
English-looking clothes, hurrying down
| through grove of trees to meet us.
| GA gentleman, lady, and little girl -
| calculated Good, after surveying the trio
| through his eye-glass, walking in civil
| lied fashion, through civilized garden,
to meet us in this place Hang me, if this
| isn't the most curious thing we have seen
yet"
| Good was right; it certainly did seem odd
and out of place-more like a scene out of
dream or Italian opera rifaEs real, tang
| ible fact; and the sense of unreality was
not Iessened when we heard ourselves adj
| dressed in good broad Scotch, which, how
ever. [ cannot reproduce.
Chow do you do, sirs?" said Mr. Mac
kenzie, gray-haired, angular man. with a
kindly face and red cheeks; 81 hope [ see
you very well. My natives told me an
hour ago they spied two canoes with white
men in them coming up the river; SO we
have just come down to meet you"
''And it is very glad that we are to see a
white face again, let me tell you," put in
| the lady, charming and refined looking
person.
We took off our hats in acknowledgment,
and proceeded to introduce ourselves.
"And now" said Mr. Mackenzie, 'You
must all be hungry and weary; SO come on,
gentlemen, come on, and right glad.we are
to see you. The last white man who visited
us was A1phonse-you will see Alphonse
presently-and that was year ago."
Meanwhile we had been walking up the
slope of the hill, the lower portion of which
was fenced off, sometimes with ounce
fences, and sometimes with rough stone
walls, into Kaffir gardens, just now full of
crops OF mealies, pumpkins, potatoes, etc.
In the corners of these gardens were groups
Of neat mushroom-shaped huts, occupied by
Mr.. MackenZie's mission natives, whose
women ard children came pouring out to
meet us as we walked. Through the CEN
ter Of these gardens ran tn roadway up
which we were walking. 1t was bordered
on each side by a line of orange-trees,
which, although they ha-. only been plant
ed ten years. had in the lovely climate of
the uplands below Mt. Kenia, the base of
which is about 5000 feet above the coast
line level, already grown to imposing pro-
portions, and were positively laden with
golden fruit. After a stiffish climb of
quarter of mile Or so-for the hillside
was steep-We came to a splendid ounce
fence, also covered with fruit, which in
closed, Mr. Mackenzie told us, a space of
about four acres of ground that comprised
his private garden, house, church, and out
buildings and, indeed, the whole hill top.
And what a garden it vast [ have always
loved a good garden, and / could have
thrown up my hands for joy when I saw
Mr.. Mackenzie's. First there were rows
upon rows of standard European fruit-trees,
all grated; for on the top of this hill the
climate was so temperate that very nearly
all the English vegetables, trees, and flow
erS flourish luxuriantly, even including
several varieties of the apple, which, gen
orally speaking, runs to wood in a warm
climate and obstinately declines to fruit.
Then there were strawberries and tOma-
toes (such tomatoesD. and melons, and GU
cumbers, and, indeed, every sort of vegeta-
able and fruit.
"Well, you have something Ike gar
den" said, overpowered with admiration
not untouched by envy.
eyes," answered the missionary, cit is a
very good garden and has well repaid my
labor; but it is the climate that / have to
thank. If you stick peach-stone into the
ground it will bear fruit the fourth year.
and a rose cutting will bloom in a year. 1t
is lovely Cline"
Just then we came to ditch about ten
feet wide, and full of water on the other
side of which was a loop-holed stone wall
eight feet high, and with sharp fiints plent-
fully set in mortar on the coping.
"Therer' said Mr.. Mackenzie, pointing
to the ditch and wall; ''this is my 11ldg1l1tl1l
opus; at least, this and the church, which
is the other side of the house. 1t took me
and twenty natives two years to dig the
ditch and build the wall, but I never felt
safe till it was done; and now / can defy
all the savages in Africa, for the spring
that fills the ditch is inside the wall, and
bubbles out at the top Of the hill, winter
and summer alike, and I always keep a
store of four months provisions in the
house"
Crossing over plank and through a very
narrow opening in the wall, we entered in
to what Mrs. Mackenzie called her domain;
namely, the flower garden, the beauty OF
which it is really beyond my power to de-
scribe. l do not think [ ever saw such
roses, gardenias, or camellias (all reared
from seeds or cuttings sent from England);
and there was also patch given up to
collection of dubious roots, mostly collect
ed by Miss Flossie, Mr.. Mackenzie's little
daughter, from the surrounding country,
some of which were surprisingly beauti-
full In the middle of this garden, and ex-
actly opposite the veranda, beautiful
fountain of clear water dubbed UP from
the ground, and fell into a stone-work
basin which had been carefully built to re-
ceive it, whence the overthrow found its
way by means of drain to the moat round
the outer wall, this moat in its turn serv-
ing as reservoir, whence an unfailing
supply of water was available to irrigate
all the gardens below. The house itself, a
massively built, single-storied building,
was rooted with slabs of stone, and had a
handsome veranda in front. 1t was built
on three sides of a square, the fourth side
being taken up by the kitchens, which
stood separate from the house-a very
good plan in a hot country. In the center